6 MLB Prospects Primed to Explode up the Rankings

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Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

With hundreds of great MLB prospects around the league, it’s always difficult to properly rank them. There are five prospects that could see themselves rise up the ranks in 2017.

As teams finish up their rosters and prepare for the coming season, MLB prospect lists start to come out from all the well-known websites. In fact, here at Call to the Pen we’ve already done exactly that. The names at the top of the lists always draw a good amount of attention. There are also prospects in the middle or bottom of the rankings that could see a huge rise in their prospect profile in the coming season.

With swaths of top prospects graduating in the past year, there is plenty of room at the top of the prospect rankings for new players to step in. Some of those that did graduate during the 2016 season fell into the same category as these players. They may not have been among the top ten, but their skills, and at times age, allowed them to rise up in the rankings and into the major leagues. Alex Bregman, Jameson Taillon, Gary Sanchez, and Andrew Benintendi are great examples.

A few of the prospects on this list fall into that category of under-appreciated prospects that could break into the big leagues in the coming season. Others on the list are in the lower levels of the minor leagues, who will use 2017 as a way to turn their raw skills into production. Usually these players are much younger, which makes it harder to predict how well they will perform in the future. That causes them to appear lower on prospect lists that contain players from all levels. This season could serve as a maturation process for a lot of players in the single A level as they make their way into the much tougher double A leagues.

As with any prospect list, there will be deserving names left off. This list is bound to be wrong in at least one place because it’s such an objective belief that they will rise up the rankings. However, in an effort to include more names, the list was expanded just slightly from five players to six.

Perhaps there was tons of evidence that players like Bregman and Benintendi would explode during the 2016 season, but the fact remains that not many believed they would see such a rise in effectiveness during this past season. The same applies to the players on this list. They clearly have the tools to push them to be among the top prospects in all of baseball, but not many believe that they’re quite at that level yet. The 2017 season is a great opportunity for all six of these players to do exactly that.

Brent Honeywell, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays

Brent Honeywell is certainly an exciting pitching prospect to begin with, but there is increased intrigue because of his unique arsenal of pitches. He employs a very seldom-used screwball. Not only does he use the pitch, but it’s one of the best in his repertoire. The screwball gets grades between 50 and 60 on the 20-80 scale, which qualifies it as an above average to plus pitch. He combines that plus off-speed pitch with a plus fastball as well. That combination alone can be lethal, but he also has an above average curveball and a changeup.

Honeywell, like almost every top end pitching prospect right now, has trouble with command at times. The important thing to note is that he has athleticism, a strong build, and mechanics that can be easily refined. These things are all typically indicators that command should come at any time now. When it does come, Honeywell is poised for a breakout. That breakout may carry him to the top of prospect rankings, but it will also help him reach the big leagues.

There are other aspects of Honeywell’s game that do need some refinement as well. His curveball is almost never in the zone, which advanced hitters will pick up on quickly. A bigger concern than Honeywell missing the zone with his curveball is when he hits the zone with a below average changeup. Working on the changeup could be key to Honeywell’s success. He already has two above average off-speed offerings, but the changeup could provide a great counterpart to the fastball. The one problem he must get passed is that his changeup arm speed doesn’t match that of the fastball, making the pitch fail in terms of deception.

Honeywell is a really interesting prospect because he throws a pitch that many others don’t. He suffers the same issues that a good portion of pitching prospects face: lack of consistent command and a changeup that hasn’t developed yet. The good news for Honeywell is that those two skills can be easily honed in the coming season. That would allow him to catch the eye of scouts all across the league. It would certainly make the Rays happy as well, as he could provide a great addition to their rotation in the coming years.

Gleyber Torres, SS, New York Yankees

Gleyber Torres was the centerpiece of the Yankees trade with the Cubs, in which the Cubs received Aroldis Chapman. Torres began his professional career with the Cubs just a couple years ago after the team spent big on both him and Eloy Jimenez in 2013. At age 19 he started the season with the Cubs high A affiliate in Myrtle Beach. At the time of his trade to the Yankees he was one of the Cubs’ top prospects.

Torres’ prospect profile is, of course, helped by the fact that he plays up the middle. So far he hasn’t shown much to make scouts believe that he’ll have to be moved away from the position. If he adds a little weight, there’s certainly a possibility that he would move to second or third. He has a plus arm and plus glove that allow him this type of flexibility going forward. In terms of base-running and speed, there isn’t a whole lot to get excited about. He has the smarts to take some extra bags, but his speed isn’t nearly good enough for him to be considered plus in that regard.

Where Torres truly excels is in the hit tool, where he has plus bat speed and a fluid swing. That tool is what has carried him on prospect lists, and it is what will carry him into the big leagues eventually. Because he has a low tendency to swing and miss while also hitting balls on a line, he’s almost a sure shot everyday regular in the future. Where Torres truly has room to grow into a great prospect is with his power.

It’s not great at the moment, but if he bulks up he could see a rise in his ability to hit the ball hard and with some carry. It may not manifest itself in a 20 or 30 home run season at the major league level, but it could be good enough to see him reach a slugging percentage in the .500s. That will play up if he stays at shortstop. If he moves elsewhere, the lack of power might be an issue. It would, however, be overshadowed by his hitting ability.

Torres is an excellent candidate to shoot up the prospect rankings for two reasons. The first is is his age. At just 19 years old, he has plenty of time for maturation and growth into his athletic body. That will play up in every facet of the game. The second reason is that he was on a hot streak during the second half of the season and into the Arizona Fall League. If that was more than just a hot month or two, Torres is primed to explode up the prospect rankings, possibly into the top 10. He already has some Yankees company up there too.

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Anderson Espinoza, RHP, San Diego Padres

Anderson Espinoza, like Gleyber Torres, was moved at the deadline. Espinoza was traded to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Drew Pomeranz. One of the most exciting things about Espinoza is his age in relation to maturity on the mound. One of Espinoza’s best qualities is his feel for his pitches and ability to make adjustments. He’s also a calm head on the mound, which is valuable and impressive for a player of his age. The intangibles aren’t the only thing that excite with Espinoza, though.

Espinoza’s fastball is a plus plus pitch in the future. It sits in the lower 90s, but he can reach back and get up to 97. Not only does it have great velocity, but it has movement. It’s the low effort release on the pitch and strike-throwing ability that set the pitch over the top. He combines that impressive fastball with a changeup and curveball combination.

The changeup projects to be a plus pitch because of the velocity separation and arm speed replication. He generates deception on the pitch, and it appears as though the pitch will became a very effective out pitch at every level he reaches. The curveball is also a plus pitch, albeit not quite as impressive as the fastball or the changeup. He spins the ball with ease and gets good 11-5 break on the pitch.

One of the best qualities that Espinoza has is his ability to spot his pitches well at such a young age. That type of command is not seen among many pitching prospects with such high velocity and effective pitches. He’s just 18 years old and his floor for command is already average. That leaves tons of room for him to grow. He has pure athleticism that should allow him to do exactly that as he ages.

Espinoza doesn’t have an outrageously high ceiling. Almost all scouts expect him to be a starter in the future, which is incredibly valuable. His ability to spot three plus pitches will turn him into a top of the rotation starter nonetheless. He’s already loved by some scouts and prospect websites, but he could see an even larger rise in support as he heads into this coming season. If he can continue to dominate even at the higher levels (the highest he’s reached so far is low A), there’s no reason to believe that he isn’t one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball.

Jacob Nottingham, C, Milwaukee Brewers

A catching prospect that can stick at the position with the ability to hit is hard to come by. It’s even harder for such players to get love on sites that rank prospects. Even Gary Sanchez, he of the rookie season lore, was ranked near the bottom of top 100 lists before the 2016 season began. Nottingham may not have quite the same raw talent as Sanchez did, but he can similarly see a huge jump during the coming season.

Framing is the popular buzzword when it comes to catchers right now, but Nottingham doesn’t necessarily excel there. The good news is that he isn’t horrendously bad in the category either. Being average in receiving while having a good arm and good catching instincts is plenty to make scouts believe that a catcher will stay behind the plate. Nottingham has both a good arm and a great ability to call a game. His blocking skills are subpar, but like his framing ability it isn’t entirely detrimental to his future at the position.

Reynaldo Lopez, RHP, Chicago White Sox

Lopez is the player on this list with by far the most experience in both the minor leagues and MLB. Regardless of this, he is still considered a prospect. The White Sox may decide differently in the coming months, but it would be wise to allow Lopez to gain some more experience in the minor leagues during 2017. Lopez’ entire prospect profile is dependent on whether or not he can stay as a starter. If he can, he’s set up to become one of the best pitching prospects in the league this coming season.

Lopez’ best pitch is his fastball. It sits in the mid 90’s and has reached into the 97 mph area. It has some movement, but the velocity is what carries the pitch and allows it to be effective. A huge strength that Lopez shows with the pitch is his ability to locate it. In addition to the fastball, Lopez has both a curveball and a changeup. His curveball is currently just average, but it can easily move to a plus offering if he can locate it and keep it breaking in an 11-5 fashion. The changeup isn’t all that impressive and hardly projects to be above average. The changeup does, however, provide a change of speed that Lopez uses well.

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Lopez has pretty good control over all of his pitches. He’s above average in command and projects to reach plus command. What will keep Lopez from starting is continuing to be dependent on his fastball and velocity to get hitters out. Hitters at the major league level can catch up to the velocity, so his repertoire would soon be easy to take advantage of. The good news is that the curveball and changeup can both be easily improved. That’s why it’s in the White Sox best interest to allow Lopez to spend a majority of the 2017 season in the minor leagues.

With an athletic build and great fastball, Lopez is already a great prospect. What he needs to get to the next level is build his secondary pitches while staying healthy. His delivery is a point of concern to some, especially in relation to the number of innings he would have to pitch as a starter. He’s joining a White Sox development staff that has a good reputation with starting pitchers the past decade or so. That will only benefit him in his ability to develop into a quality starting pitcher. If he can take steps towards solidifying his spot as a starter in 2017, he will surely be among the top pitching prospects in baseball.

Eloy Jimenez, LF, Chicago Cubs

Perhaps Eloy Jimenez doesn’t really belong on this list. He already saw a huge jump in his prospect status from the beginning of the 2016 season (he wasn’t even on the BP Top 101) to midseason (28th on from the same site). The extremely fun thing about Jimenez is that he actually has the potential to have a similar rise once again this season. As with Torres and Espinoza, his age is a essential part of his inclusion on this list. There’s still such a high ceiling on players like him, which makes beginning to develop their raw skills an easy way for them to make huge jumps in the rankings.

Jimenez emerged as the Cubs top prospect this season. Some of that was because Gleyber Torres left the organization at the deadline, but some considered Jimenez to be the best in the system before that trade. The one downside to Jimenez is his position. It’s not flashy and up the middle like Torres. He plays left field, which means that his bat will have to carry him to the top as a prospect.

The bat is not a problem for Jimenez. He has plus bat speed combined with an ever-improving approach at the plate. His high leverage swing and small leg kick allow him to channel some incredible power. The power is where Jimenez really draws the eyes of scouts. He grades plus plus in that area because of his ability to translate raw power into game power with ease. His approach is great for a player his age, and he can hit the ball to all fields. The bat is incredibly impressive and projects for him to possibly hit .300 while hitting 30 or more home runs. That’s a perennial all-star, especially in a corner outfield position where hitting ability has declined in recent years.

His abilities in the field aren’t bad by any means, but that’s not where he excels. He has an above average arm and glove in both corner spots. His lack of speed prevents him from making excellent plays in the field, but he makes the routine plays with ease. He could be highly successful in an outfield that contains a good center fielder to overshadow his lack of range.

Next: Unexpected Contenders in 2017

At just 19 years old, Jimenez has plenty of room to grow. There are concerns about his risk as a prospect. However, with risk comes great reward. That is certainly true for the massively built, athletic left fielder. If he continues to grow as he did in 2016 during the coming season, he’ll definitely see another huge rise in his position atop prospect lists.

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